Device for spreading road material



.lune 4, 1935. J E, CHADwlCK 2,003,628

DEVICE FOR SPREADING ROAD MATERIAL June 4, 1935.

J. E. CHADWICK DEVICE FOR SPREADING ROAD ATERIAL Filed Sept. 11, 1933 4Sheets-Sheet 2 [wl/wwe J: E. osoQw/ck L #ra/M17 HTTORNX June 4,1935. JE, CHADMCK 2,003,628

DEVICE FOR SPREADING ROAD MATERIAL Filed Sepfb. 11, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet3 June 4, 1935. J, E CHADW|CK 2,003,628

DEVICE FOR SPREADING ROAD MATERIAL W Filed Sept. l1, 1935 4SheAets-Sheet 4 Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4Claims.

This invention relates to a device for spreading road material.

The device has been designed to spread chips, in the process ofroadvmaking, but it is possible that it may be readily applicable to thespreading of gravel, sand and other like materials.

The objects of the invention, generally, are to improve on knownspreading devices.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a spreader unit whichcan be easily at-V tached to the rear of a dump truck so as to graduallyreceive the load as it is being discharged from the truck body and tospread the same gradually. Y

Another specic object is to provide a selfoperated spreader unit, thatis, one having its own power plant and operating irrespective of thetravel or speed of the truck from which it is suspended.

Another specific object is to provide means for adjusting the positionof the spreader unit to preferably a same horizontal position,irrespective of the position of the dump body.

Another specific object is to regulate the range or spread of thematerial as well as its rate of discharge.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the various iigures;

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a typical dump truck with mydevice in operative position. y

Figure 2 is a similar view to Figure 1 but showing the dump body tiltedas in process of discharging the load.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the device unit.

Figure 4 is a iront elevation of Figure 3, with the forward wall partlybroken away.

Figure 5 'is a diagrammatic view of the door shifting mechanism.V

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, enlarged side elevation of the rear hook orsupport for the spreader unit or device.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary, enlarged centre cross section through thehopper.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, enlarged view of the hopper showing thehopper locking-means.

Figure 9 is a section through the top portion of the tail gate showingthe hook in position.

Figure l0 is an enlarged section through the hopper showing the winchdevice in position.

Figure 1l is a fragmentary, enlarged plan view of the hopper door.

Figure 12 is a side elevation of Figure l1.

Referring now by numerals to the drawings,

it) indicates in part only, a typical dump truck of which H' is the dumpbody. The body is hinged to the chassis l2 as at IZA and has the usualtail gate or rear door I4 hinged at the top. In the type of truck`shown, there are provided I-beams i3 arranged longitudinally under thedump body and forming part of the underframe thereof, these beamsextending to the rear of the underframe.

The device, as shown, is designed to fasten or hook onto the dump bodyillustrated, or more particularly to hooks i1 from the I-beams, but itis evident that the device is equally capable of being hooked onto othersimilar dump bodies by merely changing, if necessary, the position orshape of the hooks.

Briefly stated, the device comprises a hopper adapted to be hooked tothe rear of the dump body of a truck, the open top of the hopperreceiving the load being discharged from the dump body and the bottombeing closed or opened by means of sliding gates; of means for openingor closing the open bottom of the hopper; of a rotary distributor orspreader element mounted under the hopper and in a position to receivethe material dropping out of the hopper; of a unit power Vplant carriedby the hopper for actuating the distributor; and of a winch and cabledevice for adjusting the position of the hopper with respect to the dumpbody with a view to holding the hopper in a same horizontal positionwhen `spreading the materi upon the road.

The hopper is shown at MA and is formed with slightly slanted forwardand rearward walls vl5 and I5, respectively, and 'slanted walls I8 andIB. The forward wall i5 is provided with two spaced apertures 2D, andpreferably alongitudinal bar 2l adjacent the apertures.l From theI-beams of the truck body extendl the two bars il formed with notchesHA, the hooks so formed being received into the apertures 20 with thenotches engaging the upper edges of said apertures, so that the hoppermay be suspended at the rear from the bars or hooks I1. To releasablylock the hopper in its suspended position from the hooks l1, asaforesaid, locking pins 22 may be inserted into an aperture 23 madethrough the hook in a position to lie within the hopper when the same issuspended from the hooks.

In order to support the rear end I6 of the hopper as well as to raise orlower the same as desired, there is provided the winch and cable device24 aforesaid. On the free end of the cable 25 is a hook 26 formed andadapted to hook onto the top of the tail gate, the other end of thecable being anchored to and wound around the shaft or spindle of thewinch device. The winch device is preferably secured to the hopper atmid length. For the purpose of so securing the winch, an angle member 28may be used, one leg of which is bolted to the rear wall of the hopperand the upper leg of which receives the winch proper. Thus, it will beseen that by operating the winch to lengthen or shorten the cable, therear end of the hopper will be accordingly lowered or raised,respectively, to maintain the hopper in a vertical or proper dischargingor spreading position irrespective of the dumping position of the truckbody.

The hopper gates aforesaid, are preferably made in two sections 29 and29A, these sections sliding on tracks or angles 3i) mounted to extendbelow the open bottom of the hopper. To slide the gate sections towardor away from one another to accordingly close or open the hopper bottom,suitable means are provided which preferably are operable by a lever 3|mounted on the rear wall of the hopper. As shown, this lever is fixed tothe rear end of a shaft 32 journalled in brackets 33 from the hopper,the shaft extending beyond the forward wall l5. Fixed to this shaft,preferably at mid length thereof, is a crank 34, the lower end of whichis operatively connected to the gate section 29A' by means of a link 35pivotally connected between said crank and a pair of lugs 36 from thegate section. Thus, by turning the lever 3| in a clockwise direction,the gate section 29A is shifted toward the centre of the hopper. Byturning the lever in the opposite direction, on the other hand, the gatesection is shifted away from the centre of the hopper. On the end of thehopper adjacent the gate section 29 is a shaft 32A journalled inbrackets 33A from the hopper; fixed to the shaft 32A, preferably at midlength thereof, is a crank 34A operatively connected to the gate section29 by means of a link 35A pivotally connected between the lower end ofthe lever and lugs 36 from the gate section. Fixed to the front ends ofthe shafts 32 and 32A are cranks 31 and 31A respectively, the free endsof which are directed in opposite directions from their respectiveshafts and are operatively connected together by means of a link 38pivotally connected therebetween. Thus, by turning or operating thelever 3|, the two gate sections are moved simultaneously in oppositedirections and to an equal extent.

To releasably lock the gate sections in different relative positions, aratchet device may be used. As shown, a quadrant 49 is secured to therear Wall of the hopper adjacent the handle or lever 3|; mounted on thelever is a spring-pressed bolt or latch 4| co-operating with thequadrant.

In order to handle or lift the device complete, as in process ofapplying the same to or removing it from the dump body, handles 42 areprovided at each end of the hopper, these preferably being braced aswith pipe sections 43.

From the hopper, and forming an integral part of the device, is aplatform 44 upon which the operator may stand.

Mounted below the bottom of the hopper is a spreader 46 adapted toreceive chips being discharged from the hopper and to scatter or throwthe same radially from the spreader upon the road. This spreader has acircular plate or disc 4l formed with radially arranged vanes 48 whichserve to throw the chips outwardly from the centre of the disc. From thehub 49 of the disc is a shaft 50 journalled in a housing 5| suitablysecured in the vertical axis of the hopper as with brackets 52 and 53.Fixed adjacent the upper end of the shaft 5! is a bevel gear 54 meshingwith a second bevel gear 55 fixed on a shaft 56 journalled in thetransmission housing. On the outer or rear end of the shaft 56 andpositioned to lie outside of the hopper is fixed a pulley 5'1. Thus, thespreader 46 may be revolved by the rotation of the pulley 51.

To actuate the spreader, a unit power plant is provided, this taking theform of a suitable low powered gasoline engine A, mounted on theplatform. Between the engine pulley 58 and the pulley 5l is looselytrained a belt 69. An idler 5|, journalled in a bracket 62 pivotallyconnected to the hopper as at G3, is normally held against one side ofthe belt, to tighten the same, by means of a spring 64. To release thebelt and to allow the engine pulley to run free from any load, the idleris spaced from the belt by means of a foot pedal 66 from the bracket 62.Thus, the spreader may be actuated and idled alternatively, by theoperator who releases or presses upon the pedal.

Operation Once in position, hanging from the rear of the dump body ormore particularly from the hooks Il, with the hook 26 of the winchdevice in position on the tail gate I4 and the hopper substantiallyhorizontal, the tail gate is unlocked, and the dump body slowly raisedor' hoisted. While the dump body is being raised, the operator nowstanding on the platform proceeds to operate the winch device togradually raise the rear end of the hopper so as to maintain the same ina horizontal or proper spreading position. The material in the dump bodygradually discharges into the hopper until the hopper is fairly wellfilled. 'Ihe truck is next propelled, the engine started to revolve thespreader and the sliding gates opened to the required extent. As thematerial falls out of the hopper onto the spreader, it is thrownoutwardly onto the road. In so suspending the spreader above the roadand below the hopper bottom, as well as some distance away from the rearwheels of the truck, the material is spread evenly in all directions.

What I claim is:-

1. For use in combination with a dump truck having a tail gate swingablerearwardly from the bottom and supports extending rearwardly from thedump body of said truck, a removable material spreader unit comprising ahopper adapted to rest at the forward end upon said supports whereby therearward end of said hopper is free to swing from the bottom, saidhopper being formed to allow said gate to swing thereover to dischargematerial thereinto when said dump body is tilted and terminating in anopening for the discharge of the material, a rotor positioned to receivethe material falling out of said hopper, a door under said openingoperable to vary the rate of discharge of the material, means foractuating said rotor, and adjustable means from the rearward end of saidhopper adapted to removably engage said truck body above said supportsand operable to move said rearward end relatively to said body wherefilby said rotor may rotate in a horizontal plane irrespective of thetilted position of said body.

2. For use in combination with a dump truck having a tail gate swingablerearwardly from the bottom and supports extending rearwardly from thedump body of said truck, a removable material spreader unit comprising ahopper adapted to rest at the forward end upon said supports whereby therearward end of said hopper is free to swing from the bottom, saidhopper being formed to allow said gate to swing thereover to dischargematerial thereinto when said dump body is tilted and terminating in anopening for the discharge of the material, a rotor positioned to receivethe material falling out of said hopper, a door under said openingoperable to Vary the rate of discharge of the material, means foractuating said rotor, and adjustable means from the rearward end of saidhopper adapted to removably engage the top of said tail gate above saidsupports and operable to move said rearward end relativelyr to said bodywhereby said rotor may rotate in a horizontal plane irrespective of thetilted position oi said body.

3. For use in combination with a dump truck having a tail gate swingablerearwardly from the bottom and supporting means adjacent the rearwardend of the dump body thereof, a removable material spreader unitcomprising a hopper adapted to be hingedly supported at the forward endto said supporting means whereby the rearward endA of said hopper isfree to swing from the bottom, said hopper being formed to allow saidgate to swing thereover to discharge material thereinto when said dumpbody is tilted and terminating in an opening for the discharge of thematerial, a rotor positioned to receive the material falling out of saidhopper, a door under said opening operable to vary the rate of dischargeof the material, means for actuating said rotor, and adjustable meansfrom the rearward end of said hopper adapted to removably engage saidtruck body above said supporting means and operable to move saidrearward end relatively to said body whereby said rotor may rotate in ahorizontal plane irrespective of the tilted position of said body.

4. For use in combination with a dump truck having a tail gate swingablerearwardly from the bottom and supporting means adjacent the rearwardend of the dump body thereof, a removable material spreader unitcomprising a hopper adapted to be hingedly supported at the forward endto said supporting means whereby the rearward end of said hopper is freeto swing from the bottom, said hopper being formed to allow said gate toswing thereover to discharge material thereinto when saidv dump body istilted and terminating in an opening for the discharge of the material,a rotor positioned to receive the material falling out of said hopper, adoor under said opening oper` able to vary the rate of discharge of thematerial, means'ior actuating said rotor, and adjustable means from therearward end of said hopper adapted to removably engage the top of saidtail gate above said supporting means and operable to move said rearwardend relatively to said body whereby said rotor may rotate in ahorizontal plane irrespective of the tilted position of said body.

JOHN ERIC CHADWICK.

